Third Charm's the Charm
by asdfghjklasdfghjklasdfghjkl
Summary: Set in Season 7: After the mess with the Avatars, they decide to use the remaining power of the Collective to earn back the Charmed Ones favour by rewarding them for their efforts in helping to create Utopia. The reward being the revival of their Sister.
1. Prologue

**Third Charms the Charm.**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing to do with Charmed or any of its characters, I am just a fan.

**Summary:** After the mess with the Avatars, they decide to use the remaining power of the Collective to reward the Charmed Ones for their efforts in helping create Utopia. The reward being the return of their Sister. Is there any such thing in the Prophecy's about _The Power Of Four?_ And how will Zankou take advantage of the situation?  
Set in Season 7 after _Charmageddon_.

*****I will try my hardest to make this not just another _'Prue comes back to life'_ story.  
Interested, I hope so, Chapter 1 up in the next 24 hours.


	2. The Collective

**The Collective **

_**Previously on Charmed: **_

_"What is the meaning of this?" Avatar Alpha asked at the sudden resurface of the Sisters, accompanied by Zankou in the base of the Collective._

_"I don't think we have** anything **to explain, we're not the ones going around killing people," Piper snapped._

_"We only did what was necessary to maintain Utopia," Avatar Gamma replied worried._

_"A little loophole you forgot to tell us about?" Paige said as she flexed the vanquishing potion in her hand catching the eye of the other Avatars._

_"It was never our intention to deceive, Paige," Alpha informed. "We merely gave you the world that** you**asked for."_

_"Again accept for the fact that you were killing people," Piper mimicked._

_"Their fates were regrettable, but I guarantee fewer people by far will be lost under our rule, than the chaos of Good and Evil," Alpha replied._

_"But at least with Good and Evil people knew what they were dying for," Phoebe argued firmly._

_Piper began, "And given the choice of what we had and what you're offering-"_

_"Now we know what it is," Paige chimed._

_"We'll take our freewill back any day," Phoebe finished._

_"Here, here," Zankou added._

_Completely flabbergasted by the decision of the Charmed Ones, Alpha left his position at the Collective circle and moved in front of the Sisters and Zankou in a desperate attempt to make the sisters see reason. "You would seriously be willing to give up peace of mind, the normal life you so covet to go back to the way things were? Back to fighting the likes of him again?" he asked as Gamma took a place next to him._

_"Warts and all," Piper grinned._

_"They're not ready for us," Gamma stated._

_"Perhaps not," Alpha replied. "Very well, we will use our Collective power to rewind time, to when Utopia began."_

_"Put the world back," Phoebe ordered._

_"I'm sorry this didn't work out, for your sake and ours," Alpha said._

_"Touching, I'm gunna' miss you guys," Zankou sniped._

* * *

**Present Day:**  
The base of the Collective stood white and empty in the centre of the black dome room. Avatars Alpha and Gamma sat on the silver stone steps feeling defeated and helpless. With little power left in the Collective after changing the world, Beta's death and then resetting the world again the ancient power of the Avatars was soon to become a myth. "What do we do now?" Gamma asked.

"We bide our time," Alpha replied.

"What do you mean? For what?" Gamma asked confused.

"We must conserve our individual powers thusly the Collective rebuilds," Alpha said.

"But that will take centuries at least," Gamma said.

"I know. But as you said, they aren't ready for us…but someday they will be," Alpha hummed.

"But even with all of our power this time, we still needed the added power of the Charmed Ones. And I doubt they will leap at the chance to bring about our way once more," Gamma warned.

"Then they will be persuaded, I am not going to abandon our way for the sake of three spoilt witches!" Alpha snapped.

"Alpha…" Gamma said shocked.

"I am sorry," he apologised. "Nevertheless, we need to earn back their trust so that in time maybe they will see things our way again."

"But how? Our power is little and our resources small, how do you plan to get them back on our side?" Gamma asked.

"With a gift," Alpha grinned.

"A gift?" Gamma asked. Subconsciously Gamma was thrust back into his knowledge of the Charmed Ones. He thought about the thing that would persuade them to their side, something that they coveted more than the normal life they'd been fighting to create. He had it. "But, we don't have that kind of Power!" Gamma protested.

"No! We don't have that kind of Power…yet," Alpha grinned.

"Returning the eldest Sister to the Charmed Ones after three and a half years requires the kind of Power we can only dream of possessing," Gamma warned. "Where do you plan to find it?" he asked worried.

"From the combined strength of the very Chaos we fought to put an end to. The struggle of good and evil," he replied, "summon the collective, we have work to do," Alpha ordered. Gamma, fearful of the corruption he could see in his leaders face, complied with Alpha's wishes and closed his eyes to summon the other Avatars. They appeared in position around the Collective circle each looking curious and confused. "Brethren, it is no secret our attempt at Utopia did not go down well in this time," he said as he too took position around the circle with Gamma at his side, "but I have foreseen a way to ensure our next attempt, will prevail."

"Alpha, what're you doing?" Gamma asked as Alpha raised his hands and the Collective table began to glow yellow.

"It's for the greater good," Alpha said. The yellow glow suddenly became bright white tendrils that wrapped themselves around the struggling Avatars. Some stood firm, willing to die for the cause whilst others struggled with all their might to break free of the hold around them.  
Within moments the Avatars where engulfed in flames as their powers where drained and sucked into the Collective; their lives taken.

All who remained where Alpha and Gamma. Gamma turned to his leader fearful but firm. "Am I next?" he asked.

"No, you I need," Alpha replied. Alpha grabbed his follower by the thread of his long black robe and they phased out of the room in a white mist.

Gamma found himself with his leader in a dark ominous cave in the underworld. They had faded into the fray of a battle between two feuding clans of powerful demons. Fire balls and energy balls ricocheted off of the stone stalagmites as the two Avatars took refuge behind a pillar. "The underworld?" Gamma asked.

"What better place to find evil?" Alpha replied smugly. The Lieutenant General of the clan stepped into view.

"What the-Who are you? You're no demons! This doesn't concern you!" the Lieutenant argued. Ignoring the demons angry outburst, Alpha grabbed the General and Gamma and the three phased out of the underworld and found themselves atop of Golden Gate Bridge. The roar of trucks and cars beneath them along with the rush of high winds filled their individual ears. Alpha erected a crystal cage (only minus the crystals) and trapped the demon for the time being.

"Alpha no!" Gamma exclaimed. "Taking this path is madness, you've already murdered our kind, stolen a demon and if you do what I think you plan to do you will create more problems than good, please, I beg you to stop this and let the demon go!"

Alpha, completely enraged by the lack of trust from his brother, shot a black beam from the palm of his hand with all intentions of killing him and taking his powers to add to the collective. Gamma phased out just in time to dodge the attack and escape. He refused to have any part in Alpha's tyranny.

"Pity," Alpha said. "Wouldn't you agree?" he asked the demon rhetorically.

Alpha raised his hands to shoulder height and closed his eyes. Within moments, blue orbs circled down onto the platform of the Bridges Heights and revealed Odin, the Elder. Odin surveyed his surroundings and stood confused at the demon trapped within the crystal cage. "Demon? How did you summon me?" Odin asked outraged and confused.

"Oh it wasn't the demon that summoned you," Alpha said. Odin whirled around, his long white robe trailing steadily behind him to find the thing he feared more than any evil.

"Avatar," Odin chimed wide-eyed. "W-why have you called m-me here? What do you hope to gain? The world has been reset-" Odin informed.

"For now…but you're going to help me see to that," Alpha grinned. The crystal cage surrounding the demon was disbanded and the demon set free. However before he could shimmer out, Avatar Alpha thrust his hand deep into the demons chest. Odin, witnessing the insanity of the Avatar, began orbing out when he too received a fist through the chest.  
The two paragons of Good and Evil where drained of power and life. Blue orbs and red mist travelled up the Avatars' arms into his chest where they merged and created a yellow glow like that of the Collective. The demon and elder began to vanquish, being engulfed in flame until all that was left of either of them was two piles of ash and wisps of supernatural smog.

The Avatar smiled at himself; the collective now had the power it needed. He wasn't proud of his methods, Alpha loved his brothers and sisters so much…but the cause demanded sacrifice. Now, with the power of the Avatars and Good and Evil the power of the Collective was incredible and ready to be put to use.  
Atop Golden Gate Bridge and above the city of San Francisco, Alpha summoned the power of the Collective to him.

* * *

Across town an all too familiar Mausoleum was receiving an orange and yellow glow within one of its graves.

**Prudence  
Halliwell  
1970-2001**

* * *

"It is done," Alpha chimed.


	3. An Imbalance of Power

**An Imbalance of Power.**

The back alleyway of 5th on Mason was nothing different to any other alleyway The Power Of Three had seen before. There where the typical rear ends of buildings, usually a pawn shop or restaurant, with the smoking ducts and air vents, the enormous battle of the two alley cats fighting over the last left over scrap of fish and the cliché mattresses, dumpsters and pipes that littered the floor more than the blacktop itself. However, behind a silver fenced railing, swirling white orbs appeared in a brilliant light before disappearing and leaving three beautiful women in its absence. Piper, in her usual jeans and jacket, Phoebe in her attractive but not slutty blouse and light brown trousers and Paige in her halter top and denim three-quarter length jeans and heels. They each peered their heads around the railing and set eyes upon a huddle of poorly dressed men in rags all with shaggy black hair. "Remind me again what we're doing here?" Piper complained.

"I scryed for evil and the crystal landed here," Paige informed.

"And by the looks of those guys I don't think it was wrong," Phoebe added.

"No I mean why are we scrying for evil in general?" Piper said.

"What d'you mean sweetie?" Phoebe asked.

"Look we've been demon free for a couple weeks now and after everything with the Avatars I'm just not ready to jump back into our old lives again," Piper exhaled.

"Piper, we asked for this-"

"We didn't ask to be risking our lives fighting evil in dark alleys while my kids are with Dad at Sea World," Piper said, "I'm their Mother, I should be there with them."

Phoebe began, "I know Honey, and we all wish we were there too but-"

"Uh, incoming!" Paige announced loudly as the huddle of demons noticed that they weren't alone. They turned to the witches and smiled devilishly as an oozing yellow acid dripped from their lips.

"Busted," Phoebe said.

"Scabber demons," Paige announced.

"I know what they are!" Phoebe said with a playful jab to Paige's arm. "Piper, blow em' up!" Piper outstretched her arms and flexed her hands and an explosion occurred inside one of the demons. However the force of the explosion paled in comparison to the strength of the acid the demons were full of.

"Okay your turn," Piper said to Phoebe.

"What do you want me to do? Premonition them to death?" Phoebe snapped. One of the Scabbers doubled over and convulsed a vile smelling yellow gunk that shot at the sisters but collided with the fence. The acid, upon impact with the metal, decayed it quicker than a falling anvil. The sisters stepped out from behind what was left of the fence and stood in the open. The Scabber leader grinned at them.

Phoebe looked around quickly at the floor and found a sharp shard of wood that hung loose from one of the building foundations. "Paige!" she announced as she pointed eagerly at the shard.

"Sharp pointy thing!" Paige announced. The wood hurtled at the Scabber and hit him square in the chest knocking him over onto his back with such force that if the demon had a spine; it would have shattered. Piper looked at the demon that lay lazily on his back and watched as the wood melted away like the fenced railing.

"Piper freeze em'!" Paige exclaimed.

"I can't, they're immune to my powers and once they're immune they stay that way that why the call it immunity!"

"This is not time for jibes!" Paige retaliated.

"This is no time for arguing either!" Phoebe interrupted. One of the Scabbers who had watched the entire show saw the opportunity and lunged forward sending the yellow acid straight at the witches. The sisters dived to the ground where they hit it with an ear shattering crack.

The leader of the Scabbers issued the order and each and every demon went for the kill. "Icky stuff!" Paige said. The acid was encased in pure blue and white orbs and sent hurtling back at the demons colliding with the faces of each and every one of them. They screeched in pain before melting to the ground leaving no trace upon the charred pavement.

The Sisters got to their feet.

"Didn't you do that last time when Chris had a run in with the Scabbers?" Piper asked.

"I think so," Paige said trying to remember.

"So why wait until I was flat on my back to try it again?" Phoebe smiled playfully.

"You okay Honey?" Paige asked her older Sister.

"Yeah," Piper started, "I mean it's not the life I asked for, but I suppose it's better than how they made it," Piper said. "I'll be okay-"

Piper was interrupted by a swirl of powerful orbs that appeared in front of the girls leaving the Elder, Sandra in their place. Her short sandy blonde hair fell just over her white and golden robes that hung from her shoulders comfortably.

"Leo's not here," Piper snapped angrily at the Elder.

"The matter of Leo's punishment for siding with the Avatars does not concern this one," the Elder replied.

"Then what does it concern?" Phoebe asked in the same tone as her sister.

"The Elders…require you're…aid," Sandra struggled. Piper suddenly broke out in sarcastic laughter that confused the Elder completely.

"You want us, to help you, after all you've put us through-are putting us through!" Piper asked angrily.

"Piper," Phoebe warned.

"No," Piper snapped back.

"Piper, Phoebe's right, if the Elders need our help it must be serious," Paige added.

"It is," Sandra chimed, "Odin, has…disappeared, he is feared dead and possibly murdered."

"And let me guess you think it's my Husband?" Piper said with a sarcastic smile as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"No, Leo has been exonerated," she replied. "But we have no idea who has the kind of power to murder the strongest Elder single handily. We also sensed a major imbalance in the grand design which tipped the scale into our favour-"

"Wait, the scale tips all the time, besides if it was going to tip at all wouldn't it fall in the favour of Evil…y'know with your guys'…dead guy?" Paige asked unsympathetically.

"Yes, the balance does change but only ever gradually and naturally, not over night. And with Odin's disappearance, we can only assume one thing. The Avatars are making there move," the Elder warned.

"Not this crap again," Piper said.

"It can't be the Avatars, if they were going to tip the scale against us, why tip it towards us and not towards evil?" Phoebe said as she tried to make the Elder see sense.

"Perhaps you're right," the Elder admitted, "But at this stage we are not ruling anything out. We ask that you return to the manor and check your Book of Shadows to see if it has an answer to any of this, while the council discusses your input." The elder began to orb when Piper piped up.

"Hey!" she said. "What about Leo, have you guys come a decision or what?" Piper asked trying to sound as casual as she could.

"No we have more pressing matters to deal with as you can see," Sandra replied.

"Let me make something very clear to you lady, there is nothing more important than the fate of my Husband or my family and if you can't find the punishment that you think he deserves amidst all this craziness then the power of the Elders is seriously overrated. The only reason I don't blow you up right now it because I know you'll reform and I don't want to see your face any longer than I have to. Now please, go," Piper said finally.

The Elder, out of necessity and undiluted fear orbed out of the alleyway leaving the sisters alone in the afternoon din.

"Paige, Manor, now," Piper demanded.

* * *

The Halliwell Manor attic was as messy and untidy as it ever was. Just the way the sisters liked it. Phoebe stood by the Book looking for a reference to anything the Elder had said while Paige mixed potions and scryed for the new power the Elders where so scared of. Piper sat by Chris's crib with him and his brother Wyatt. Victor had brought the boys back an hour ago from Sea World and the happy looks on Pipers boys' faces broke her heart because she couldn't be there to share it with them. She looked around the mess attic and found herself gazing at the bookshelf, only it was minus the books and plus the potions. Her gaze lingered over the photo frame which contained a picture of herself four years ago taken by her older sister Prue when she first quit Bucklands and got back into photography. Piper smiled at the memory of her older sister and thought of how different her life was at the point that photo was taken. When her biggest worry was 'Leo or Dan?'.

"Nothing!" Phoebe said as she closed the cover of the Book of Shadows in frustration, knocking Piper out of her day dream. "Any look scrying?"

"Nada," Paige replied.

"Guess we should call the Elders and tell em' we got zip," Phoebe suggested. Just as Phoebe finished her sentence Paige felt a twinge on the crystal. It circled a familiar street before dropping onto a familiar location.

"Hold that thought," Paige said. Piper and Phoebe went to Paige's side to read the map.

"But that's the Manor," Piper announced. Suddenly, Wyatt's shield erected over him protected himself and Chris. "Incoming," Piper mumbled.

Out of the dust of the messy attic came a tower of flames in the shape of a tall well toned man. The flames distinguished leaving a cleanly shaven, short haired male with heavy poorly-stitched clothing and thick duster boots. "My apologies for the intrusion," he began. "So, the famed Halliwell Manor, built on a spiritual nexus to house the famed Power of Three and…the Book of Shadows," he said as he stared inquisitively at the book.

"Zankou, what d'you want?" Phoebe asked.

"What do I want? No, no, no, no, my dear the question is, what do I have?" Zankou smirked.

"What're you talking about?" Paige asked. Piper raised her hands to blow up the demon but he telekinetically lunged all three sisters against the back wall were they landed on their fronts with a loud thump. Piper gave her son a look and he orbed his little brother to their grandfathers' apartment.

Zankou pulled something from his leather pocket and tossed it to the ground. It landed delicately upon the loose floorboard of the attic.

"Always a pleasure," he said before courteously inclining his head and flaming out. The sisters got to their feet and dusted themselves off.

"Everybody okay?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, can't say the same for our attic though," Paige said as she spotted the destroyed desk and chairs they had landed on.

"What do you think he meant by what he has?" Phoebe asked, "and is he the one who's been messing with the balance?"

"Can't be, why would he tip it towards Good like the Elder said?" Paige replied.

"Whatever he's up to, it can't be good," Piper added.

"What's this?" Paige asked as she walked over and bent down to pick up the trinket Zankou had purposely left behind. "Didn't figure Zankou for having a taste in fine jewellery," Paige smiled.

Phoebe began, "Piper is that-"

"Prue's necklace," Piper echoed.

* * *

Authors Note- Please review and thank you for reading.  
Thank you to: CharmedJeff, gulfguy44, LeftWriter224 and scuzan for adding this story to their story alerts. It means a lot.

Thank you to: LeftWriter224 and Megagalvatron12 for their reviews, they mean the world to me.

Thank you to Megagalvatron for adding this to their Favourite Story list and having faith in me and the story.

Again, please review and let me know what you thought.


	4. Back in the Game

**Back in the Game.**

**14 hours ago, in the Underworld.  
**  
Zankou grew tired of the underworld quickly before he was imprisoned by the Source and even quicker after his recent release. There are only so many times you can bump your head on a stalactite without hurling a few fireballs to get your anger out. It was partly the reason why the Source imprisoned him, feared he was consorting with his enemies above ground. Of course he was, but the above ground was just a bonus for him.  
He entered his lair which he'd stolen from a nest of vampires quite recently and summoned his second in command. An African American demon, shirtless with steel-toed boots erupted in flames before landing firmly on the cobble-stone like ground. "My Lord," the demon said as he bowed respectfully.

"Kaan, I need you to find the source of this unbalance, fast," Zankou ordered.

"My Lord?" Kaan repeated.

"Just now in fact, something very…_**good**_…is happening. And if I'm to get the Charmed Ones' Nexus I can't have the balance of power in their favour. Find this new power and bring it to me," Zankou ordered.

"Yes my Lord," Kaan accepted as he shimmered out of Zankou's lair into that of his own. He arrived in time to deflect a hurling energy ball. Kaan grabbed the energy ball firmly and distinguished it like buzzing pest. "What is the meaning of this?" Kaan asked his followers who seemed to have been fighting in their leaders' absence. "If we have any chance of surviving this we cannot fight amongst ourselves or else how are we to assist Zankou in fighting the Charmed Ones!" Kaan scolded.

"Y'see that's just it. Why is we tryna' help Zankou? He's only gonna screw us over in the end. I says we kill the witches ourselves!" a cocky minion piped up.

Furious, Kaan erected a powerful fireball and thrust it at his follower. "Any other suggestions?" he asked as the minion burst into flames. The rest of the hoard of demons became nervously quiet and avoided eye-contact with their leader. "Good. Zankou has ordered we locate a new power, a recent new power and a powerful force for good. If he is to have any success at destroying the Charmed Ones he must have the balance reset. Go, find the new power and bring it to me," Kaan ordered.

* * *

**Present Day, Halliwell Manor.**

"Piper what're you doing?" Phoebe asked as she hurriedly tried to follow her sister down the manors' stairs and into the kitchen.

"I'm going to the basement; I think we have more candles down there. The ones in the attic are kinda worn," Piper replied. She descended the stairs into the basement and looked into the small alcove which Prue had used as her Dark Room to develop her photography. She stopped still to daydream and the quietness told her that Phoebe had too.

"What do you need candles for?" Phoebe asked as she snapped out of her daydream of her older sister.

"To summon Prue," Piper said as she picked up a box marked **CANDLES**and turned to go back into the kitchen.

"To summon Prue!" Phoebe asked. "Piper they've never let us see her before, what makes you think this time is any different?"

"Because Phoebe, why would Zankou say he has Prue if we buried her in that necklace three years, seven months, three weeks and four days ago?" Piper snapped.

"Oh, Piper-" Phoebe began with tears in her eyes.

"No, you can either be with me or against me on this but I will summon my sister whether you or _they_like it or not," Piper replied as she too fought back the sting of tears. "Where is Paige?" Piper asked as they left the kitchen and arrived in the dining room.

"She's upstairs clearing up the shelf," Phoebe replied.

The sisters stepped back into the attic and watched as Paige struggled to lift the heavy wooden furniture off of the floor. "Shelf," Paige said. The cabinet was encased in blue orbs and then disappeared before reappearing in the upright position. She then bent down to pick up the few potion vials that had managed to escape the threat of shattering.

"Ah ah ah, I saw that missy, personal gain," Phoebe scolded as she tried to lighten the mood.

"Oh relax, besides the only thing I gained from that is not having my back broken," Paige replied. "Piper you okay?" Paige asked. Piper had began setting out the candles in a circle and taken the gas stick from the scrying table and began lighting them individually. "What's she doing?" Paige asked.

"Well you always said you wanted to meet Prue, now's your chance," Phoebe replied.

"I thought the Elders wouldn't let you summon Prue," Paige said.

"Well something tells me this time'll be a little different," Phoebe replied. "Where's the necklace?"

"Here," Paige said she handed her sister the silver chain with the small diamond heart. "Are you guys sure it's hers? I mean we got from Zankou, maybe he just read one of your minds, conjured the necklace and is trying to lure us into a trap?" Paige said.

"Because look on the back," Phoebe said. Paige flipped the diamond heart over and in tiny letters she read:

_Prue,_  
_love Andy_.

"Even we didn't know it was there so how could Zankou have known to put it on there if he conjured it?" Phoebe added.

"I don't know, but I guess we're gonna find out," Paige said as she inclined her head toward Piper who had just finished off lighting the last candle.

"_Here these words,  
here my cry.  
Spirit from the other side, come to me,  
I summon thee,  
cross now the great divide,"_Piper chanted.

Piper waited for the familiar woosh of wind, the soothing sound of jingling and the white swirling lights that followed that incantation but instead all she received was the nauseating smell of burning dust and old wax. "Here sweetie, try it with this," Phoebe offered as she handed Piper the necklace. Piper hesitated before taking the silver chain in her hand. The last time she'd felt its feel was when she'd taken it off of Prue's night stand to wrap it around the neck of the corpse she had to bury.  
She released a breath she wasn't aware she was holding and repeated the incantation. The woosh came, followed by the jingle, followed by the beautiful white lights and followed by…Grams?

* * *

**12 hours ago, Somewhere in San Francisco**

She'd lived in the city all her life and watched closely over it in death but still as she looked around at her surroundings she had never felt more lost and intimidated. The stone slabs that made up the sidewalk were far from the clouds she had gotten used to, and under her bare feat the coldness of them was so…foreign. She tried to dodge the oncoming people, some coupled together with their hands holding, others in large groups and yet they all looked at her strangely. The noise from the cars as they roared past her made her innards shake and the bright beams of the headlights disoriented her to the point she lost her balance once or twice. "Are you alright miss? Are you lost?" a Good Samaritan asked her as he helped her to her feat.

"Get off me," she replied.

"Miss would you like me to call you a cab?" he offered.

"Don't touch me! Get off me!" she yelled catching the attention of bystanders who saw the man only trying to commit an act of kindness.

"Whatever lady…freak," the man said over his shoulder as he walked away.

The busy city was becoming too much for her all at once. She didn't understand how she was back or why but she knew she was no longer _up there_. She took refuge in an alleyway and sat with her legs up against her chest beside a dumpster. She waited whilst her eyes adjusted to the change in light and noticed she was wearing a knee length black dress. She placed her hand toward her neck and toyed with her necklace and found comfort in it. Her head was spinning with a thousand thoughts that eventually they all seemed to mould together; she couldn't pick one out from the din.

"But…you're dead," a shirtless African American man in steel-toed boots announced at the sight of the woman. She snapped out of her trance and looked at the man.

"D-demon," she stuttered. Before she could make a move, offensive or otherwise, she was already pulled up to her feat and being held tightly to the demons chest and being shimmered out.

She found herself being thrust to the ground at the feet of yet another demon in the Underworld. She may have been a tad loopy at that moment in time, but she recognised a demon and the Underworld like they were the letters of the alphabet. "Well, well, well, isn't this interesting," Zankou echoed as he pulled the woman up by the roots of her long black hair. "Little Prue Halliwell come back to play," Zankou said as he ripped the necklace from Prue's bare neck. "This will be interesting."

* * *

**Authors Note**: Thank you to LeftWriter224, gulfguy44 and Megagalvatron for their reviews.  
**Review Reply**: Megagalvatron; thank you for the review, what do you mean the credits on youtube? :/

I hope this chapter helped to explain how Zankou got Prue, if any of you were wondering. Next update tomorrow.  
Please Review and let me know what you thought if you haven't already and thank you for being curios and reading.


	5. Rescue Me: Part 1

**Rescue Me: Part 1.**

Penelope Halliwell, the super witch, the smart witch, the Prue Halliwell of the previous generation appeared before the girls in brilliant white light with a shimmering yellow aura around her silhouette. She smiled and held her arms out wide in front of her. "My darlings," she greeted. Her short sandy hair fell just above her shoulders and her light blue silk cardigan hung loosely down to her knees over a white jumper and grey slacks. "How are you?" she asked.

"Grams we didn't call for you," Piper announced.

"Nice to see you too, Piper," Grams replied as she stepped out of the circle of candles and took corporeal form. She took her three grandchildren into a warm embrace before looking at them individually.

"Grams we called for Prue," Phoebe said.

"I know dear, but the Elders say you can't see her, you know that," Grams replied.

"So she is still…_up there_?" Paige added.

"Well of course," Grams said unconvincingly.

"Hmm, so then why does Zankou have her necklace?" Piper scrutinised.

"Must've bought it somewhere and is trying to toy with you," Grams suggested.

"Never much figured Zankou for paying top dollar for a necklace like this, Grams," Piper snapped. Penny fell completely silent. The sisters knew she was hiding something, they even knew what she was hiding, but neither of them could quite seem to believe it until somebody would say it.

"Grams…is Prue, alive?" Phoebe asked as she held her sides in a desperate attempt to protect herself from her grandmothers coming words.

"Prue…is missing," Penny replied.

"Just like the Elder said," Paige chimed.

"**Will you give it a rest with the Elders, Paige!**" Piper snapped. Paige's mouth clasped shut as she looked to her older sister in a painful stare. "Sorry," Piper added.

"S'okay, I get that this is hard for the both of you. I should go get Wyatt and Chris from your Dads," Paige said as she began orbing.

"Paige wait-" before Phoebe could finish, her younger sister had already disappeared from the room. Phoebe exhaled heavily. "Damn it," she mumbled.

"I shouldn't have snapped at her like that," Piper admitted.

"She get's it Piper, I mean we're talking about our dead sister, she understands," Phoebe said.

"Back to Prue," Grams said as she walked over to the book and felt its familiar touch. Piper and Phoebe took a seat on the couch and both ran their face and hair through their hands and fingers.

"So we're saying Zankou killed an Elder, stole Prue from the heavens, took her to the underworld, took her necklace and is using it to lure us into a trap?" Phoebe asked.

"It's not possible, even he doesn't have _that_kind of power," Piper replied.

"Nothings impossible dear, you know that," Grams added.

"Unless he wasn't working alone," Piper chimed.

"Y'know maybe the Elder was right, maybe this has something to do with the Avatars," Phoebe suggested.

"Maybe, but it doesn't all add up, I mean if they didn't have the power to bring back Agent Brody as well as put the world back, how would they get Prue?" Piper asked.

"I don't know," Phoebe said frustrated. "But I can't just sit here while one of the most powerful demons we've ever come across has our sister, Piper!"

"Then let's go get her," Piper said.

"And what? Just run in, guns blazing, you'll get yourselves killed," Grams warned.

"Grams is right we need a plan," Phoebe said.

"You do that, I'm gonna call Leo and ask him about the Avatars," Piper said. Suddenly swirling blue orbs erupted near the door and left in there place Pipers' husband, Leo Wyatt. He wore his predictable light blue jeans and plaid shirt.

"What's goin' on?" he asked.

"Wow, that was fast," Piper said.

"Yeah I've been kinda keepin' an ear out for your call," he replied.

"Why?" she asked.

"No reason," he said in a way that let Piper know they needed to have a private conversation. "So what's up? And what's with Grams?"

"Wow, y'know you all really now how to make a person feel welcome," Grams snapped.

"You're not a person, you're dead," Phoebe smiled.

"Yes, well…that's beside the point," Grams replied.

"Where's Paige? She only orbed over to Dads, shouldn't she be back by now?" Phoebe asked looking nervous.

* * *

Prue was unconscious and being restrained by giant shackles that connected from the brimstone wall to her wrists. Zankou had also taken a piece of dirty material and wrapped it around her eyes for safety. Zankou knew the history of the Charmed Ones like no other and he knew that, once upon a time, Prue could channel her power through her eyes and hands. And he liked his feet firmly on the ground. He also knew from the history books that the eldest sister, Prue Halliwell, was always the strongest and since he'd had her captured he was curious as to why she hadn't tried to escape, tried to run back to her sisters or even used her power.

Instead she played the perfect prisoner. "It's curious actually. I would have bet my life on the fact that your sisters, or Piper at least, would have came orbing down here to rescue you as soon as they figured out that I had you. They must know your back, I can sense the spirit of your grams at the manor, so why haven't they came to rescue you?" he got no reply from his captive, only a gentle rustle of the chains. "So, what are you? A Ghost? No, I'd be able to smell it on you. The witch in you is very…faint," he said as he held his musty hand inches from her face. "But a full resurrection after almost four years is unheard of, even by my ears-"

"Yeah well keep listenin' buddy," Prue piped up.

"And she comes out swinging. There's the Prue I've heard so much about, the Prue we remember," Zankou grinned.

"Take away these shackles and you'll have a major case of déjà vu," Prue threatened as she struggled against the chains.

"Look's like your sisters didn't forget about you after all," Zankou said as he felt a sudden spike of orbing energy in his lair. Paige landed gracefully into the underworld and took refuge behind a large stone pillar. She'd orbed the scrying crystal and the map out of the attic and to Victors apartment and the crystal found Zankou. She figured if she had any look of staying in her sisters' lives, she had to be the one to rescue Prue.  
Whenever Piper or Phoebe mentioned Prue, Paige would always feel like she was teetering on edge of the Halliwell inner circle. Like she wasn't really their sister and they only needed her to re-make the Charmed Ones. She loved her sisters so much and even though up until three and a half years ago she'd been an only child, she wouldn't give up her life with her life with them for anything. And although she knew her sisters loved her too, she wasn't Prue, and she never would be.  
And now that Prue was back, however she was back and whether she was staying or not, she had to prove herself to her sisters, to her grams and to herself. She felt she had to prove she was worthy of being a Charmed One.  
She'd dreamed of getting to meet the legendary super witch elder sister that she'd been subconsciously competing with since her Charmed life began, and now was that moment…if she could get around Zankou that was.

Zankou left Prue's side after gagging her and went to hunt down the source of the orbing. He didn't know whether to expect all three sisters and the Elder, just the sisters, or an individual sister, but all in all he erected a fireball in one hand and an energy ball in the other, ready for anything.

* * *

"**AHHH!**" Leo cried out back in the manor's attic.

"Leo!" Piper screamed as she rushed to his side as he writhed on the floorboards. "Leo what is it?" she asked.

"I-It's Paige-**AHHH!**-she's in trouble, hurt," he said.

"Where is she Leo, can you sense her?" Phoebe asked.

"No, only that she's hurt," he said as he tried to remain calm and control his emotions.

"Well than that can only mean she's in the underworld," Grams said.

Phoebe began, "you don't think she-"

"She's gone after Prue," Piper echoed.

* * *

Author's Note: thank you to: Megavalatron12 and LeftWriter224 for their reviews.  
Review Reply: Nope, wasn't me who mentioned anything about Youtube credits? :\  
Next update up soon.  
As always, thank you for being curious and reading but please review.


	6. Rescue Me: Part 2

**Rescue Me: Part 2.**

Phoebe took the necklace from Piper and set it down carefully on the book before shakily sitting down on the couch and burying her head in her hands. Zankou had two of her sisters, and as powerful as she was, against him she felt like an insect. She looked to her older sister for support, but found Piper giving the same desperate look to Grams. Zankou was right when he said the power of two just didn't have the right ring to it.  
She thought about going after them, but if she did she thought Piper might as well have gone alone. Phoebe had no firepower, and unless the demons challenged her to combat, she was useless. "What do we do?" she asked.

"I don't know," Grams said.

"We can't just leave her there!" Leo snapped.

"We're not!" Piper yelled back. "We strike a deal."

"With what? The only things he wants is our heads on a platter," Phoebe added.

"Well think about it, he's a demon isn't he? And what are demons always looking for?" Piper hinted.

"Power," Leo added.

"You can't offer that bastard your powers Piper!" Grams snapped.

"No, something bigger than that," Piper said.

"The Nexus," Phoebe said.

* * *

Zankou, after summoning a darklighter and stealing his crossbow, shot Paige in her left shoulder with such force that the arrow went straight through her torso and collided heavily with the stone wall behind her. The force of the arrow hurled Paige forward and upon meeting the floor, she knocked herself unconscious. Zankou knew she wasn't going anywhere, the poison wasn't just killing the witch, but it was killing her powers too.

* * *

"How're you planning on contacting him?" Leo asked.

"Wait you can't seriously be thinking of letting Zankou get a hold of the Nexus, can you!" Grams said shocked.

"We're open to suggestions grams but so far that's all we've got," Piper asserted.

"Well let's not just offer it up before letting him talk. Maybe he doesn't even know the Nexus is under the house. I say we summon him here, catch him in a crystal cage, discuss his terms and make a decision then," Leo suggested as he regained control of himself and took a seat next to Phoebe on the couch while Piper sat on the arm.

"But what if the cage doesn't work? It didn't do us much good with Barbus a couple years ago. What's to stop him from killing us as soon as he gets here?" Phoebe asked.

"Because he needs us to get to the Nexus. Assuming he knows we have it, if he knew how to get it he would've tried by now," Piper said.

"But like Leo said, how're you going to get him here?" Grams asked.

"I could reword the Balthazar summoning spell and make it work for Zankou?" Phoebe offered.

"Good, you do that and Leo and I will set out the crystals," Piper said, "Grams we appreciate you coming but-"

"I know, I should get going, be safe my darlings," Penny said as she held her arms out lovingly and erupted in white lights before disappearing from the eyes of everyone present in the attic.

* * *

Zankou, as evil and vindictive as he was, saw the opportunity to torture the eldest sister further and removed her blindfold. Prue allowed her eyes to adjust from the complete blackness of behind her eyelids to the heavy dim of the underworld. She looked to the cleanly shaven demonic kidnapper and then to the woman with blood dripping from her back and ears. Who was that woman? And why was she trying to save her?  
"While you were _up there_, a lot has changed. The Power of Four Prudence, meet your younger sister," Zankou taunted. "She-what the," he said as he heard voices in his head that where slowly forming into a spell.

_Magic Forces Black and white,  
Reaching out through space and light  
Be he far or be he near  
Bring us the demon, Zankou, here._

Prue watched her captor erupt in a twirling tornado of wind that stretched up to the highest crevasse her eyes could see. She couldn't help but be launched into her memories of the last day she was alive. When she stood in the hallway of the place she'd called home since she was brought home from the hospital and was sent hurling through a wall by the wind demon, Shax, the sources assassin. She was wracked with fear so much that she passed out in her chains.

* * *

"It worked," Phoebe announced as the attic received the same swirling tornado that the underworld had.

"Phoebe, get the last crystal," Piper ordered to her sibling. Phoebe shot across the room to grab the last crystal to make up the crystal cage.

"Impressive," Zankou complimented as he finally appeared and the wind faded.

"Wait," Piper smirked as she flexed her hands in his direction creating an explosion that knocked him a few yards back into the centre of a rung surrounded by three crystals. "Now Pheebs," Piper said. Phoebe placed the last crystal in place and the silver arches of the cage grew steadily over the demon before joining at a point above his head. The loud buzzing and the bright glow of the cage filled the Manor. "We're listening," Phoebe said as she rejoined her sister in front of the demon. Zankou rose to his feet.

"What do you mean?" he played dumb.

"Don't play games," Phoebe asserted.

"Wait," Leo said as he contributed to the debate, "You've got Zankou pinned down, why don't you find Paige and Prue the same way Paige did, I'll orb you down there, we get your sisters and Zankou goes home crying?" he suggested.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Zankou said. "As soon as my minions see orbs they've been ordered to give the witches a mouth full of energy ball," he said.

"You're bluffing," Piper scrutinised.

"Are you willing to bet your life on it? Or better yet, the life of your beloved Prue?" he winked.

"What about Paige?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh I wouldn't bother about her. She may be strong but that poison arrow will be killing her any moment now," smirked Zankou devilishly.

"Poison arrow?" Phoebe asked confused. "Oh my god, Paige," she said with her hands clasping her mouth.

"What do you want?" Piper asked.

"What are you willing to lose?" he winked. Piper stood her ground. She decided to take Grams' advice and not mention the Nexus until he did.

"Call off the attack on our sisters, allow us to go and get them, **both**of them, and we'll give you whatever you want," Piper offered.

"I want power, the kind of power only the Charmed Ones can provide," Zankou said. "The Halliwell Manor; built equidistant from the five spiritual elements creating a spiritual nexus. The Nexus is the ultimate power, and you're going to give it to me."

"Deal," Piper agreed.

"Piper!" Leo said as he pulled his wife away by the upper arm and out of earshot of the demon.

"Take as much time as you need, it's just your sisters' lives at stake," the demon taunted.

"Piper, we can't just give Zankou the Nexus," Leo said fearful of the damage a demon like Zankou could do with its power.

"Yes we can, and once we have Prue and Paige we'll say the spell to banish the Woogy-"

"How do you know it'll work?" Leo asked.

"Because it has too," Piper hummed showing she was just as scared as her husband. Piper turned her back to Leo and set her gaze upon Zankou. "For you to get the Nexus, the presence of Good has to be non-existent in the Manor which means we'll open the book to the spell to get the Nexus, you'll call of your _so-called_minions from our sisters and while we save them, you get the Nexus and everybody goes home happy," Piper offered.

"Deal," Zankou said.

"You first," Phoebe said.

"What's the matter, don't you trust me?" Zankou winked. Phoebe stared at the demon until he waved his hand creating a red spark. "Now the spell," he said. Phoebe turned the book around and gave Zankou full view of the Book of Shadows. "And the cage," he said.

Piper, Phoebe and Leo huddled behind the crystal cage. Extremely quickly, Phoebe kicked one crystal away from the rug thus breaking the cage and setting free the demon that had the power to destroy them before, and with the now with the Nexus, she refused to think about it.

Both Piper and Phoebe were consumed with thoughts of saving their family as Leo's blue and white orbs surrounded them.

* * *

Authors Note: thank you to: Megagalvatron12, LeftWriter224 and Dominus Trinus who gave me three great reviews.

Hope you enjoyed this, please review and thank you for reading.


	7. The Suxen

**The Suxen.**

Piper, the sister who craved a normal life the most, for her boys, herself and her family arrived in the underworld feeling nervous and terrified. She set eyes onto the glare of the underworld and thought how a few weeks ago she was certain she'd never have to journey back down there. She pushed a few stray strands of hair back behind her ears and out of her eyes. She surveyed the abyss for her sisters when she lay eyes on the youngest, Paige, lying limp and dying on the hot brimstone.

Then she saw her.

Prue hung limp from her chains with her beautiful black hair falling eerily over her face. Piper's heart skipped a beat at the sight of her sister after all this time. The Elders hadn't allowed her to see Prue after she died. They wanted Piper to feel the loss and mourn the loss because if she and Phoebe could just summon her whenever they wanted, she would never feel fully…gone. But there she was, in the black dress she was buried in three and half years ago.  
Phoebe felt the rush of emotions also as she gazed upon the obscured face of the sister she thought she'd never see again. Phoebe wondered what exactly she was. Was she human? A ghost like Grams? Or maybe even a shape shifting demon trying to earn favour with Zankou by killing the Charmed Ones.  
Leo rushed to Paige's side and held his palms above her wound. Light emanated from his hands and the blood on Paige's shirt began fading. "It's working," he announced. Phoebe, gathering all her strength and courage, rushed to Prue's side. She held her sisters face in her hands and began feeling the intense sting of grief combined with joy and caution.

"Prue?" Phoebe asked shakily. Prue was just as Phoebe remembered from the day she went down to the underworld to save Cole. She was so beautiful, just as she always was. However, she wasn't waking up. "Prue," Phoebe repeated. Phoebe began trying to free Prue from her chains but the sheer weight of them told her she would have no luck. "Piper, little help?" Phoebe asked. She turned to Piper who was frozen completely. Although not magically but emotionally. "Piper we're already two sisters down, don't be the third and help me!" Phoebe yelled. Piper snapped out of her trance and tore her gaze from Prue and placed it aggressively on her restraints. She flexed her hands and the chains received a blast that severed them into two. Prue dropped to the ground like a free falling anvil.

Paige, fully healed and accompanied by Leo, joined Phoebe and Piper shortly followed. Piper, taking charge as the older sister is thought to do often, spoke up. "Leo, orb Prue to _P3_she should be safe there. Try to wake her up but don't scare her. We don't know how much she knows or remembers or even is she remembers anything at all."

"You guys I'm so sorry, I should've known better than to come down her alone," Paige apologised.

"Don't worry about it," Phoebe smiled.

"Paige you need to orb us to the Manor so we can expel the Nexus out of Zankou before he does any real damage with it," Piper said.

"Wait, Zankou has the Nexus?" Paige asked wide-eyed.

"I'm not leaving you to face Zankou alone!" Leo said protectively.

"Leo you have to, I'll be fine we'll figure a way out of this like we always do," Piper reassured. Leo kissed his wife lovingly before orbing out and taking Prue with him.

* * *

Back at the Manor Zankou stood purposely in the Manors' basement over the broken earth. Rubble was piled around the rectangular ditch Zankou had constructed. He took the ripped page from the Book of Shadows containing the spell for summoning the Nexus and he began to read.

'_Natum ad a necral dona in tan la noc'_

The Shadow rose from the broken earth like a wildfire. It seemed to somehow look deep into Zankou, surveyed him, his alignment whether good or evil before entering him and imbuing him with all of its raw power. Zankou took slow cool breaths as he struggled to keep his balance. He opened his eyes revealing an inky blackness that seemed to swallow the viewer whole. He was unstoppable, he had the power to do anything, go anywhere and kill whoever now. And he was ready. But first he had the matter of destroying the Charmed Ones to take care of.

To his joy and amazement, in orbed the three women that threatened his evil rampage. He grinned knowingly at the sisters who appeared in the alcove and he lingered his gaze over Paige. "Didn't expect to be seeing you again," he stated in a tone of voice that wasn't his own. It was deep and demonic.

"Yeah well you can't rid of me that easily," Paige said. Piper blasted Zankou with as much force as she could muster and the explosion hit him square in the chest. The blast fazed Zankou as much as if the blast was an insect that flew into his chest. He smiled and wiped the scorch mark from his poorly stitched leather clothing.

"Always the strongest," Zankou winked.

Piper began, "_I am Light, I am one to strong to fight_-" before Piper could finish the spell, Zankou thrust out his arm creating a deadly beam of Shadow that rushed toward her and sent her hurtling through the alcove, crashing through a shelf and smashing it into matchsticks and then collided her heavily against the brick wall of the basement. Piper fell bleeding and unconscious upon the cold ground.

"Piper!" Phoebe exclaimed as she and Paige rushed to her side. "Paige, get her out of here," Phoebe demanded.

"No, not without you!" Paige replied.

"Somebody has to stay here to keep Zankou from leaving the Manor," Phoebe asserted.

"Inseparable even until the end," Zankou taunted from across the basement.

"Paige, do it, please, if any of us make it out of this it has to be her, for the boys," Phoebe said.

"Phoebe-I-" Paige stuttered.

"**Go!**" Phoebe exclaimed. Paige held Piper by the hand.

"I'm coming right back for you," Paige cried as Zankou launched his second attack but missing the witches by centimetres. Paige orbed out of the basement. Phoebe got to her feet and looked her foe in the eye.

"Always the weakest," Zankou sounded as he advanced toward her. He stretched out his arm and another blast of Shadow was hurled at the witch. Phoebe desperate but willing to die for her family, levitated high into the air to her own amazement as well as Zankous'. "Looks like you have a few tricks up your sleeve," Zankou said.

"More than one," Phoebe said as she levitated over his next attack and landed on the basement stairs. She ran as fast as her mortal legs would carry her out of the basement, through the kitchen and into the hallway. Zankou's silhouette began appearing slowly into the foyer. Phoebe saw the opportunity and grabbed it with full force.

-"_I am light; I am one to strong to fight-"_

Zankou appeared and shot another deadly blast at the witch's core. Phoebe ducked and rolled towards the stairs.

-"_Return to dark, where shadows dwell, you cannot have this Halliwell_-"

Another smoky black beam shot at Phoebe. Taking full of advantage of her newly restored power, she levitated into the air and dodged this attack also.

-"_So go away and leave my sight and take with you this endless night!_"

Paige orbed to Phoebe's side just in time to watch as the immense power of the Shadow was expelled from Zankou. The smoggy blackness oozed out of Zankou's eyes, nose and mouth and fell through the wooden floor and back into the broken concrete of the basement. Zankou fell loudly to the ground and screamed as the last ounces of the Shadow left him. "**DAMN IT!**" he exclaimed as he got to his feet and looked at the witches. "So close," he said as he bowed and was engulfed into a tower of flames before disappearing back into the underworld.

Paige began, "How did you-"

"No time, where's Piper?" Phoebe asked.

"At _P3 _with Leo," Paige replied.

"Alright well orb orb orb!" Phoebe said grabbing her sister by the hand.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading and please review.


	8. P3, Plus 1

**P3+1.**

Pipers' office hadn't changed much over the years except the addition of more band posters to the walls and the smell of alcohol from when Chris lived in the club last year. Moments ago, Paige had orbed in and out so fast she barely even reformed but she did however lay Piper elegantly over the red sofa that sat alongside one of the walls and Leo, seeing the blood and instant bruises, began healing her. Prue had came into consciousness shortly after and as she lay on the floor allowing her green eyes to adjust to the light she got to her feet and tucked several stray strands of hair behind her ears and out of her line of vision. "Prue, you're okay," Leo announced at the sight of his dead sister in law.

"Yeah I guess so," Prue said. Prue suddenly noticed Piper's limp body over the couch behind her brother-in-law. "Oh my god, what happened to Piper?" she asked.

"It's a long story," Leo said.

"Leo what is taking so long?" Prue snapped.

"She almost died that's what," he replied. The blood coming from Pipers mouth and ears began retreating back into her and her eyelids and her fingers began twitching. "I gotta go help her sisters," Leo said.

"But she's just waking up!" Prue protested.

"She'll be fine, but her sisters-**your sisters **are in big trouble," Leo said as he began to combust into blue orbs before disappearing from the office completely. Piper opened her eyes and allowed her vision to adjust to the change in light. She looked to her side to find a slim tall figure of a woman in a black dress, barefoot with long black hair falling comfortably to her lower back.

"Prue?" Piper mumbled as she sat up. She knew it was Prue, she'd rescued her from the underworld minutes before hand but seeing her standing up and looking over her made it feel like Piper was seeing her for the first time again.

"Yeah sweetie it-it's me," Prue stammered.

"But h-how, you-ghosts glow and you're not glowing," Piper announced.

"Not a Ghost; or at least I don't think I am," Prue said as she held out her arm and inspected them.

"B-but how?" Piper asked.

"I don't know," Prue said as she sat on the sofa next to Piper. Prue took her sister into her arms and Piper buried her face in Prue's hair and took in the familiar scent of the product and perfume she used before she died.

"A-after you died I…I took one of your shirts and slept with it e-every night. But after a while i-it stopped smelling like you and began smelling like me," Piper told as she remained in her sisters arms, "I went out and bought every detergent I could find to try and get your smell back but…b-but I couldn't," Piper sobbed.

"Oh, Piper," Prue said as she hugged her sister tighter.

"I'm not dreaming am I?" Piper asked.

"No sweetie, you're not," Prue replied. Piper had had a similar dream to this over and over again since Prue died, granted the circumstances where a lot different than this one but being held by her sister even just one more time was Piper's definition of the perfect moment.

Seconds later, Phoebe and Paige orbed into the club and set eyes on their embraced sisters. Phoebe released Paige's hand and used it to clasp around her own mouth. "Prue," she whispered between her fingers. Piper and Prue released each other and Prue rose from the couch.

"It's true, she's real but we don't know how she's back," Piper said as she attempted to wipe her cheeks and eyes free of tears.

"Phoebe," Prue said. "You're so grown up." Prue took her younger sister into a hug and Phoebe too thought briefly that she might be dreaming.

Paige, the youngest child of Patty Halliwell, had often daydreamt of meeting the famous super witch and older sibling, Prue Halliwell. Paige looked up the memory of her older sister, aspired to be like her not only as a witch but from how Phoebe and Piper spoke about her, as a person as well. Phoebe and Prue released each other and looked into each other's eyes. "I missed you so much," Phoebe cried.

"Me too sweetie," Prue said. She'd remained strong with Piper, hadn't cried, but with both her sisters in floods of tears, fighting her own was a suicide mission and so the tears streamed over her lower eyelashes. Paige, assuming attacking the stranger with a hug would be too much all too soon, held out her hand in a kind gesture that made Piper smile.

"We've never met, I'm P-Paige Mathews," Paige stammered nervously.

"I'm speechless," Prue replied dismissively as she took Paige's' hand and shook it once before releasing it. Piper's smile faded as she looked to Phoebe who was wearing the same confused expression as she was. Prue turned her back to Paige, who stood feeling completely excluded, heartbroken…and a little angry.

Phoebe began, "Prue, what do you um-"

"Remember? Everything, although the longer I'm here the fuzzier the memory of _up there_gets," Prue replied.

"**Hold it!**" Piper exclaimed. "What about Zankou! He-"

"Is gone, thanks to our Miss Phoebe here kicking some demon ass," Paige complimented as she tried to forget her first rude encounter with Prue.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked Paige. "What does she mean?" she repeated turning to Phoebe.

"Yeah how did you get the Shadow out of Zankou?" Paige asked.

"_Zankou_?" Prue asked.

"I think I got my powers back or at least another one of them," Phoebe suggested.

"Well which one, Empathy or Levitating?" Piper asked.

"You're an Empath?" Prue asked.

"Levitating, and might I say how I have missed it," Phoebe beamed.

"Okay…catching up," Prue announced.

"I thought you'd know all this? About Zankou and everything?" Phoebe asked. Prue shook her head from side-to-side.

"Well what did you do _up there _all day?" Piper asked.

"After I…y'know…the Elders said that I couldn't see you guys anymore just like you couldn't summon me. Occasionally Mom or Grams or Andy would give me the heads up on a few things like you guys vanquishing the Source and Piper having her babies," Prue smiled warmly to her sister. Piper beamed with pride of her boys. "We should probably call the Elders so they can come get me," Prue suggested.

"Wait, you wanna leave? But you just got back," Phoebe said a little hurt.

"Of course I don't wanna leave Pheebs but I can't stay I mean…I'm dead," Prue said.

"But that's just it, I'm not so sure you are," Paige added.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked. Paige lightly and placed her two fingers to Prue's wrist.

"She has a pulse," Paige acknowledged.

"That's not possible," Prue said as she put her two fingers to her neck and felt it for herself.

"So you're…alive?" Phoebe asked with her tears filling up again.

"Wait…hold on…if Prue's alive then that means it can't have been Zankou who summoned her from _up there_," Piper said.

"Prue what do you remember exactly about how you got down here?" Phoebe asked.

"Uh…I don't know, one minute I was with Andy and the next I'm wondering the streets of San Francisco," Prue said.

"We should take Prue to the Manor or Magic School where she's safe from any other threats until we can figure all this out," Piper said.

"We can't go to the Manor, if anybody see's me we could risk exposure…again," Prue said remembering the lost day that Tempus rewound.

"Again?" Piper asked confused.

Phoebe darted her eyes to her shoes in guilt.

* * *

Author's Note: thank you to Megagalvatron12 for reviewing my previous chapter.  
Thank you to: Casper8301, iliketurtlesctfxc, Virgogirl19 and geniusbookworm for adding this story to their story alerts. I really really really really appreciate it but guys I need to know what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, if you're enjoying this etc. So please, take 20 seconds or so to drop me a little review.

Special thank you to Virgogirl19 for adding this to their favourite stories list.

Weirdly, the site will let me upload the chapter, but nobody can see it? So if you're wondering why ive uploaded the same cahpter twice already, it's because im trying to figure out the problem. My apologies.

Thank you for reading and please review.


	9. Liars and Thieves

**Liars and Thieves.**

Prue looked to Phoebe whilst wearing a confused expression. Phoebe wouldn't meet the gaze of anybody and instead almost had a make-out session with the tiles beneath her shoes. Paige, completely oblivious to the situation, took a seat on the armrest next to Phoebe and stared at her confusedly too. "What don't I know?" Piper asked.

"Nothing," Phoebe said seriously.

"Well clearly that's not true because you're wearing your '_I stole your nicest pair of heels and my boyfriends cat pee'd on them_' look," Piper said.

"Somebody help me out here," Paige said to acknowledge her shared confusion.

"Paige, why don't you go find Leo and make sure he's okay," Prue said.

"Prue," Phoebe said angrily because of Prue's dismissal of their sister.

"O-oh, yeah I should…I get it-you guys have um, sister stuff to deal with," Paige said with the familiar sting of tears.

"Paige-" before Phoebe could finish, Paige walked as calmly and casually as she could out of the office and into the main part of the club and shut the door tightly behind her.

"Subtle, Prue," Phoebe scolded.

"I didn't think it quite concerned her, Phoebe," Prue retaliated.

"Okay what exactly is _**'it'**_?" Piper asked.

"You didn't tell her about how I-" Prue began.

"It never seemed like the right time," Phoebe interrupted.

"Well, cat's outa' the bag," Prue said.

"If somebody doesn't tell me what is going on soon I will put the both of you in a bag," Piper snapped and she accidentally blew up the laptop that sat on her desk. "Damn it."

"Piper, what do you know about how I…y'know?" Prue asked.

"Well uh, we saved Dr. Griffiths from Shax and took him back to the manor. Phoebe ran upstairs to the book to get the vanquishing spell but when Shax burst into the house you…you weren't there," Piper said turning to her younger sibling who dodged her gaze. "And then I watched as Shax blasted you through the wall and into the conservatory. He was about to go after Griffiths until I got in the way," Piper continued, "But by the time Leo healed me, Griffiths was dead and," Piper turned to Prue, "and…you were too. Why didn't you hear me when I called you?" Piper asked turning back to Phoebe.

"Because…I wasn't in the manor," Phoebe admitted.

"Yes you were, we saved Griffiths and you ran upstairs to the book," Piper said confused.

"No sweetie, I was…I was with the Source in the Underworld with Cole…and Leo," Phoebe said fearful of her sisters' reaction.

"Phoebe, Cole and Leo went to the Source to find Tempus," Prue said. "So they could rewind the day so that our magic wasn't exposed."

"Exposed? Like it was with the Dragon?" Piper asked.

"_The Dragon_?" Prue asked.

"No sweetie, in the day you don't remember, I did go up to the book and get the spell, but Shax had already gotten to you two by the time I came downstairs and I managed to say the spell and protect Griffiths," Phoebe told. "I called for Leo and he healed you…the both of you. Prue wasn't positive that Shax was vanquished and so the two of you went out into the streets to find him, which you did, you fought him off and killed him but you didn't know that across the street you were both being recorded on news at 11," Phoebe said.

"Th-that's ridiculous! We would never run out into the streets like that," Piper protested.

"Sweetie we had to, to save the innocent," Prue said. "Phoebe had already gone down to the underworld to save Cole by the time Morris called and told us we'd been exposed and the house became a media circus. We asked Leo to go down after Phoebe and bring her back up here were she'd be safe but while he was down there you…you were shot," Prue informed.

It was all too much for Piper. This was the only time she'd been envious of another person's power. If she could've orbed out of that room and left the pain of the day she was robbed of behind she would have in a heartbeat. She felt anger and shock and pain and all the things a normal person would feel if they somehow stumbled into a familiar situation.

"I called for Leo but he couldn't hear me, you were bleeding out on the living room floor and I didn't know what else to do. I dragged you to the car and you passed out in the back seat. I got to the end of the driveway and the crowd a-and the, the police and reporters and crazy, c-crazy nutjobs they…they just wouldn't move. I could feel you slipping away from me and I did what I had to," Prue stuttered as she tried to hold herself up.

"You used your power," Piper stammered as she grabbed Prues' hand as she sat on the arm chair next to her.

"When I got you to the hospital it was…it was too late. You'd lost so much blood and the doctors they…they couldn't do anything. You died in my arms, Piper," Prue said as a single tear descended her cheek.

"The Source somehow knew what had happened and he offered Cole and me a deal. He would get Tempus to rewind time if…if I stayed down in the underworld. Leo heard the words _death_ and _sister _and orbed out straight away. When he came back he was a mess; in floods and could barely stand let alone speak. But he didn't have to tell me, it was written all over his face," Phoebe said. "So I took the deal and time rewound."

"And that's when the day that _you _remember started," Prue added.

Phoebe continued, "Leo, Cole and I had to orb and shimmer all over the underworld to escape the Source and the bounty hunters and when we got back to the Manor it was-"

"It was to late for me," Prue finished.

Leo appeared in the office for a second time in a swirling group of blue and white orbs. He looked to his crying wife and then to her guilty looking sisters. "I left the boys with Paige back at the manor who by the way isn't the happiest kid in the cartoon. Honey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"How could you lie to me like this?" Piper asked as she rose from the couch.

"What do you-" Leo interrupted himself as he looked to Phoebe and Prue. He had a feeling the rewinding day would come up sooner or later, he had always planned to tell Piper about it but he and Phoebe said they would when Piper had had time to mourn. And even after then there was no topic of conversation that would make discussing that sound casual. "I'm sorry," he apologised. Piper stormed out of the club and, unlike Paige, slammed the office door with such force the door now read 'PIPE HAL I ELL.'  
Prue and Leo exchanged a worried look while Phoebe ran after her older sister. Piper was just stepping onto the stairs to leave the club when Phoebe laid her hand on Pipers shoulder and wrapped the other around her wrist.

"**Get your hands off of me**," Piper spat as though each word was a sentence and laced with poisonous venom. Phoebe retracted her hands and folded them shakily across her chest and watched as her sister strutted furiously up the stairs and out of the door.

* * *

Author's Note: thank you to: Dominus Trinus, LeftWriter224 and Megavalatron 12 for their reviews.  
Sorry this chapter took a little while longer. I was getting so caught up in this story I was neglecting my other. If you're a Buffy fan, I'm in my 14th episode of my own season 8 so check that out.  
Next chapter will be up soon, little teaser- **Zankou appeals to the Tribunal!  
**As always; thank you for reading and please please review.


	10. Far From Okay

**Far From Okay.**

Piper got to her jeep in the parking lot of P3, where she'd left it after returning from the Scabber demon vanquish, and headed back to the Manor. Piper didn't like being angry, usually she never had to get angry as the middle sister, but when Prue died she took responsibility for the family and stepped literally into big sisters' shoes. She couldn't believe Leo and Phoebe, how could they keep something like this from her? She already felt like Prue's' death was her own fault, and now even more so. She couldn't bare feeling that way towards the man she loved and the sister she trusted, but no matter how she tried to calm herself down she could feel the emotion ready to blow. And blowing up the jeep with her inside it wouldn't be such a good idea.

* * *

Phoebe walked back into the office of P3 with one hand clasped loosely around her mouth while the other was tucked under her arm. She was shaking; she'd never seen Piper so…hurt. "What happened?" Prue asked.

"She just left, I heard the jeep pull outa' the lot," Phoebe said.

"I should go after her," Leo suggested.

"Leo, the only thing that'll get you is broken orbs," Phoebe answered.

"How could you guys not have told her?" Prue asked.

"Gee I don't know Prue. When's the right time to say _Hey, funny story, while me and your husband were trying to save a demon it was you that was murdered three years ago, _between pass the milk at the breakfast table?" Phoebe spat.

"You guys, arguing isn't going to fix anything," Leo said.

"Leo's' right, I'm sorry," Phoebe said.

"Yeah, me too," Prue replied.

"What do we do now?" Phoebe asked her brother-in-law.

"I'll talk to Piper, she'll be at the Manor soon," Leo said, "Phoebe, call the elders and let em' now about Prue and her…condition."

"Condition? Leo I rose from the dead, it's not like I have Chlamydia or something," Prue snapped.

"There's no way I'm doing that," Phoebe replied.

"What?" Leo asked with a furrowed brow.

"I'm not letting them take her away again," Phoebe said. She turned to Prue, "I just got you back."

"Alright, you talk to Piper and I'll talk to the Elders," Leo said.

"What about me?" Prue asked.

"Go to the Manor with Phoebe," Leo said.

"No I-I can't go to the Manor," Prue stammered as she averted her eyes from meeting anybody's glare.

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

"Because, okay?" Prue snapped.

"It's because Paige is there isn't it?" Phoebe scrutinised. "Prue I love you but Paige is our-"

"**It's not because of **_**Paige **_**Phoebe,**I just, I just can't alright?" Prue said; her gaze still on her bare feet.

"We'll be back," Phoebe said after taking Leo's hand and escaping the awkward and confusing atmosphere.

* * *

Leo dropped Phoebe off in the hallway of the Manor. Phoebe walked purposely along the thin rug and wooden flooring when she peered her head around the conservatory door looking for Piper. Instead she found Paige playing with Wyatt near the window of the room. Phoebe stepped in and met Paige's gaze and tried her best not to let her younger sister know that she knew she had been crying. Paige smiled at her and looked away; Phoebe knew she wouldn't admit she was hurting. "Have you seen Piper around?" Phoebe asked.

"She came home about two minutes ago, she's upstairs with Chris in the nursery," Paige replied.

"Was she-"

"Pissed? I've never seen her like this before, Phoebe," Paige said worried.

"Don't worry, I'll fix it," Phoebe said unconvincingly as she turned toward the stairs.

"You not gunna tell me what it is you have to fix?" Paige asked.

"It's a long story," Phoebe called over her shoulder.

"Right, of course it is," Paige whispered to herself solemnly.

* * *

Phoebe timidly knocked on the door of the nursery but received no reply. She contemplated the brown polishing of the door as she waited for Piper to call _come in_ but she never did. Phoebe turned the knob of the door and pushed. The door swung open about three-quarters of the way before it stopped still like something was blocking it. Phoebe pushed and pushed but she couldn't get the door to budge. "Piper?" she called. No reply. "Piper!" she said a little louder, "look I know you're in there and I'm not going away. Piper, please unfreeze the door."

"I don't really feel like talking right now, Phoebe," Piper said, her eyes wet and red.

"Piper, we have to talk about this," Phoebe said. No reply. "I'm sorry I lied to you Piper, it's just after Prue died there was never a time to tell you," Phoebe said.

"Don't you **dare **stand there and make excuses for what you did," Piper growled.

"I tried to spare you from more pain Piper," Phoebe added.

"That worked out great for us didn't it," Piper said.

"Sweetie please, unfreeze the door," Phoebe begged.

"No," Piper replied. Piper suddenly felt a twinge of goodness and she and her baby were being enveloped in blue and white orbs. Piper and Chris orbed out of the nursery and landed in the hallway behind Phoebe.

"You orb?" Phoebe asked.

"No, but my son does," Piper replied as she gave baby Chris a look that said _you are SO grounded_.

"Guess he wants his Mommy to talk to his Aunt Phoebe," Phoebe smiled.

"What're you a psychologist?" Piper asked.

"Well…kinda'," Phoebe replied causing both sisters to laugh.

"Can we talk?" Phoebe asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Piper replied.

"I think you should ask that to the little whitelighter in your arms not me, Piper," Phoebe said.

"I-I'm not-I can't just…forget what you and Leo…but there's a bigger picture right now and that's what I'm gonna focus on," Piper said, drying her eyes.

"Are we okay?" Phoebe asked.

"**We are far from okay, Phoebe**," Piper replied. "Is Prue downstairs?" she asked, changing the subject.

"No, she stayed at P3," Phoebe replied with Pipers' words ringing in her ears.

"Why?" Piper asked as she swapped Chris from her left arm to her right.

"I don't know, she got all weird when I mentioned the manor," Phoebe told.

"Well what do we do now?" Piper asked worried.

"Do we have to do anything?" Phoebe asked.

"What d'you mean?" Piper replied.

"Piper, Prue…is alive. And whether the cosmo's brought her back or something else did I say we send them a thank you card," Phoebe said.

"So what you're saying we should just count our blessings?" Paige asked as she rounded the corner towards Chris and Wyatt's nursery.

"Paige is right Pheebs, somebody brought her back for a reason, as happy as I am that my dead sister is in my club, we need answers." Piper turned back to the nursery and placed Chris down in the basinet.

Phoebe began, "Well Leo's gone to talk to the elders so hopefully we should-"

"Uh guys?" Paige interrupted. Phoebe and Piper turned to their sister when they suddenly realised there surroundings were starting to mould together. "What's happening?" Paige added.

"I don't know," Piper said as the Charmed Ones all took eachothers hands.

The Sisters felt a sense of nauseating weightlessness as the structure of the manor began to decay around them. Piper released Phoebe's hand when she suddenly realised her son was still in the nursery. However as soon as Phoebe's hand left hers, they were no longer in the manor.  
The Charmed Ones found themselves upon a glowing silver and glass-like circle that seemed to be amidst nothing but an infinite expanse of pure nothingness. Paige looked to her left to see the man she shuddered to think about. Zankou was sat perched upon a glass table with a single metal chair behind it. The Charmed Ones gazed at the demon as he inclined his head in a false peaceful gesture.  
A slightly larger glass table appeared behind the sisters and behind the table stood three silver chairs.  
Out of the dark abyss appeared four heads surround by white light.

"**The Tribunal, has begun**," boomed a balding floating head with a grey goatee.

"This is _not _good," Piper announced.

* * *

Authors Note: Thank you to: BitchAmI and LeftWriter224 for reviewing my last chapter.  
Hope you're still interested and please review.

As always, thank you for reading.

-Follow my tumblr: www. keep calm and open the hellmouth . tumblr . com -(all one word.)


	11. A Change in the World

**A Change in the World.**

_Half An Hour Ago: Golden-Gate Bridge._

Leo dropped Phoebe off in the Manor's Hallway before orbing out to the top of Golden Gate Bridge. He stood atop the red iron like he had done countless times before but there was something off with the atmosphere. The air was thick and dense with a feeling of unknowing and to breathe it in felt like sucking deodorant straight from the canister. He looked to the city below and felt an equal sense of empowering goodness and tempting evil. He didn't have to be an elder to sense the change in the world. The sky above seemed to be stretching further away and the metal beneath his feet felt dangerous and unstable. He was unsure, he'd never felt such sudden interference with the city except the time Phoebe and Paige crossed over to the mirror world to rescue him and Chris.  
He shook the unsure thoughts from his brain only to receive an oceans wave of thoughts of Piper. He had no idea what he was going to say to her or if she was going to speak to him. He honed in on his charges and felt her pain as Phoebe begged her to open the door. Before he could keep his mind set in that place, another Elder appeared in swirling orbs in front of him on the bridge. Sandra, the elder, greeted him by inclining her head of sandy blonde hair. "I'm sorry I wasn't with you sooner, things have been…hectic…up there," Sandra said.

"What's going on?" Leo asked.

"You know what's going on Leo, the worlds in peril. With Odin dead there is no order up there. We have no voice," Sandra said.

"Well you need to get one and fast," Leo said.

"I take it you found Prudence?" the Elder asked.

"We found her, Zankou had her in the Underworld," Leo told.

"To what end?" the Elder asked inquisitively.

"What else? To lure the girls into a trap so that he could get the Nexus. We got Prue out, fought Zankou off and now she's at the club and Zankou's Nexus free," Leo said. "But there's more…Prue's kind of breathing…out of necessity," Leo said. He couldn't think of a better way of putting it. To his knowledge, which was pretty vast, a full resurrection of **anybody **is completely unheard of. It requires the kind of power both good and evil do not have the access too.

"We thought as much," the Elder said. Leo expected her to be just as baffled as he was when he found out. However she just stood there as richeous as usual.

"What do you mean? You knew?" Leo asked.

"When we sensed the hole a deceased Charmed One used to fill _up there_ we began looking immediately. We sensed her for a brief moment until she vanished from our radar. And for that to happen she had to be either dead or in the underworld and if she were dead she'd be _up there_. We both know that only a powerful Necromancer has the power to take a spirit to the underworld and the sisters took care of the strongest two years ago. Of course we couldn't be certain. It was when we listened into Piper's office that our suspicions were confirmed," Sandra informed. She sensed the rage in Leo, a rage she hadn't felt since Gideon tried to kill Wyatt. The thought of fleeing the bridge crossed her mind but she was always one of the Elders who had faith in Leo.

"You knew and you didn't tell us?" Leo hissed.

"When we sensed Prue before she was taken to the underworld, she was disoriented, lost, broken and easy prey. We Elders took these feelings away from her. I suspect you've noticed she's acting like she never died at all? We couldn't risk her putting the Power of Three at risk again . Although, we sensed a spike of her old feelings just moments ago?" Sandra asked avoiding Leo's question.

"Yeah she uh…she got kinda' weird about returning to the Manor," he said avoiding eye-contact. "What do we do?"

"Prue is alive Leo, we couldn't take her back up there even if we wanted to, the only thing we can do is try to deal with the imbalance as best we can," Sandra said.

"How?" Leo asked.

Sandra began, "You sense it don't you, extreme good and evil within this very city. Since Prue has been back a woman has survived falling out of a nine story window, a terminally ill infant made a full recovery-"

"But those are all great things!" he interrupted.

"I agree…but as well as all those things…an hour ago a cat gave birth to a litter of snakes, in France a family of four went swimming in a lake when it suddenly began to boil and a baby was born moments ago with it's eyes facing inward," Sandra added solemnly. "I'm afraid we're in serious trouble with the grand design Leo, and the Elders do not have the power to revert it," she echoed.

"What about Prue? If she's alive and you took away her emotions is she going to stay a social vegetable forever?" he asked.

"Like you did with Piper, we plan to give Prue back pieces of the memories of her afterlife _up there _and the pain of leaving it," she replied. "But we cannot ignore how this came to be, we have to find the thing responsible."

"What should I do?" Leo asked.

"Go back to the Manor, plead with the sisters to help the Elders find Odin's killer and it might lead us to the entity who has the power to bring back life," Sandra didn't wait to say more. She left once the orders were given in a swirl of lights. Leo exhaled, completely stressed and at a loss to find a source to ease it. He thought of the manor and began to orb.

Suddenly, out of the fog that rolled over the bridge, a tower of hellish flames appeared in Leo's line of vision and left in their place the demon Zankou. Leo reacted swiftly and shot lighting from him palms. Zankou hurled to the end of the bride and dented the red iron on impact. "Why must we fight?" he smirked as he shot a fireball at Leo that hit him square in the chest and he hit the iron just as hard. "I have to say that would have stung a lot more were you still an Avatar," Zankou added as he got to his feet properly.

"What are you doing here Zankou?" Leo asked as he got to his feet too and wiped the charred ash from his shirt.

Zankou began, "I've heard you face a little problem-"

"This problem threatens both sides, both good and evil are in the firing line," Leo said.

"My thoughts exactly, and if the elders don't have the power to solve the imbalance, then we go to the people that do," Zankou smirked.

"The Avatar's don't get involved in the affairs of good and evil," Leo stated.

"No…but the tribunal do," Zankou said with a humble gesture with his shoulders.

"Not a chance," Leo objected.

"We've worked together before you and I and that worked out how you wanted it!" Zankou asserted.

"I seem to remember I had to die in the process," Leo glared.

"We both know to summon the tribunal upon a matter that threatens the future of all magic, both sides are needed," Zankou said.

"The tribunal will do anything to keep magic going, that means murder if need be and I am not going to put the lives of the girls on the line to save demons!" Leo snapped.

"It's not just demons Leo! It's everybody, not just the magical world but the mortal world too! A world I believe as a whitelighter you took an oath to protect!" Zankou yelled.

"And just why are you so eager to save magic?" Leo asked suspiciously.

"Same reason I helped with the Avatars…if the sisters are going to die…it's going to be at my hand," Zankou hissed with his words laced with venom.

"I should check with the sisters," Leo said still unconvinced that Zankou's intentions were legit.

"I tried to do this civilly," Zankou dropped a potion at Leo's feet. From that, an explosion erupted and black tendrils bound Leo in place leaving him unable to move, "but you had to involve your stupid wife."

"What have you done to me?" Leo asked as he struggled against to branch like black tendrils.

"It's amazing what you can get a sorcerer to create for you when you hold an energy ball to his head," Zankou laughed as he took an athame from his pocket. It was black at the hilt with a red jewel just below the blade. "Relax," he said as Leo stiffened, "I'm not going to kill you, I need you alive. You see I found a loophole, to summon the tribunal for this…particular…matter. Both Good and Evil blood must be present upon the _Circle of Truth_. This could have been avoided Leo, but i'm going with or without you." Zankou sliced Leo's arm and collected blood in a vial before storing it in his pocket along with the athame.

"I'm hoping I'll be seeing you and the sisters real soon," Zankou smirked as he erupted in a tower of flames and left behind a bound Leo and a small charred circle upon the red iron of the bridge.

* * *

**Author's Note:** thank you to: _LeftWriter224, BitchAmI and darius prince of the sea_ for reviewing my last chapter, thanks guys.  
this chapter was just to explain how the sisters came to be at the tribunal so I hope you enjoyed it. I'll probably update tomorrow as I am planless as usual.

Please please please review and as always, thank you for taking the time to read this.

Also thank you to those people who added this to their story alerts and favourite story lists.


	12. The Tribunal

**The Tribunal.**

Paige, Piper and Phoebe made eye contact with the regrettably familiar faces that floated above them. They glowed and shimmered like a cliché movie hologram as they looked to the sisters suspiciously. "What reason have you for summoning the Tribunal?" asked the goateed head. The sisters looked to each other in confusion. Phoebe, knowingly avoiding the circle of truth that shimmered in the centre of the silver gleaming glass their feet stood upon, released her hold on her sisters' hands and addressed the members of the Tribunal.

"'_Summoning you?_' You summoned us!" she said a little angrier than she had intended.

"How dare you!" glared one of the demon Tribunal members whose hair line receded down to the top of his neck.

"**Phoebe**," Piper scolded as she gestured her back to the front of the three chair table. Phoebe rolled her eyes and re-joined her sisters. "Uh," Piper continued, "we didn't summon you…we were brought here."

"Allow me to clear up any confusion," echoed a man who stepped out from the shadows and revealed himself with a smile that made you want to disappear into the din. "I summoned you here my lords, you see the very future of magic…and the world is in grave peril," Zankou said as he acted like he hadn't noticed the sisters' presence.

"You can't trust a word he says," Paige piped up and caught the attention of the Tribunal members, "he's trying to set us up!"

"Always the detective aren't we, Paige" Zankou smirked.

"Trying to set you up or no my dear, I'm afraid there is truth in his words," said one of the elders. "The Tribunal will hear both cases, that of the Charmed Ones and Zankou before deciding how best to protect magic."

"_Our Case_?" Phoebe asked.

"We don't have a case, we were brought here against our will!" Piper asserted.

"And you are free to leave of course…but should Zankou make his case without opposition, the tribunal will have no choice but to comply," the goateed elder warned. Piper returned to her sisters and they each took a seat behind the desk while Zankou sat pompously atop the silver glass table on the opposite side of abyss.

"What're we going to do?" Phoebe asked.

"We can't leave; Zankou has to have something up his sleeve," Paige added.

"It's gotta be about the upset balance right?" Piper asked.

"Yeah," her sisters said simultaneously.

"So Sandra said the scale has unnaturally tipped in our favour and now that we know Prue is alive it's gotta be her right?" Piper asked.

"I guess so," Paige said.

"It has to be," Phoebe added.

"So we play the _'we can clean up over our own magical messes' _card and we should be home free, it worked against Barbus and we saved Darryl," Piper said.

"I like it," Paige smiled. The sisters each shot looks of uncertainty and nerves before Phoebe turned to the floating heads above her and said:

"We're ready."

"Very well," boomed a demon tribunal member above Zankou, "make your case Zankou." Zankou rubbed his hands together vigorously as he rose from the glass table and stood just beside the _Circle of Truth_.

"My Lords," he began, "it is no secret that the Charmed Ones are responsible for many problems in the magical world in their times as witches, it is to my knowledge that this is the first time a group of witches has had to visit the Tribunal twice. The eldest fell in love with her whitelighter and refused to save any more _innocents_ if he was not returned to her," Zankou finished as he stepped his stumpy boot in the circle of truth and a holographic picture arose from the hexagonal space.

_The circle of Truth showed Piper coming out of the club looking for her keys when a Troll ran across the lot toward her. It circled her legs and she tripped and fell flat on her back under a street light.  
"I bet you guys think this is real funny don't ya?" she asked as she got to her knees and looked to the stars above her. "Haven't you taken enough from me and now you send __**TROLL'S **__after me to kick me while I'm down? I had a normal life once and you took that from me. I am a good person, I am a good witch and damnit I would have made a great wife! You know what? I deserve-no, I demand that you send him back to me. I am going to stand in this very spot until you send Leo back to me!"_

The hologram faded and Piper's eager and confident attitude went with it. She began to speak, "I never said that wasn't going to save any more innocents…y'know if they happened to run passed the lot I would have froze the demon." The Tribunal looked down on her bad attempt to win them over with humour.

Zankou began, "And then there is the middle sister, Phoebe. She fell in love with the mighty Balthazar-"

"Objection! I fell in love with a Cole long before I knew about his demon half," she pleaded.

"That may be true…but what happened when you did find out?" Zankou winked as he set his boot in the _Circle of Truth_once again.

_The Bounty Hunter, Crel, had just been vanquished by Cole and Phoebe fell with tearing eyes into his arms. She heard the cries of her coming sisters and looked up to him in fear. "Give me your shirt," she said._

_"My shirt?" he replied. She bent down and picked up the vial of Balthazar vanquishing potion and walked back to Cole. She took his shirt from him and dropped it onto the floor of the Mausoleum._

_"Give me your hand," she said as she took Cole's athame from her pocket. She used the knife to draw blood from his hand and then he bled onto his coat. She dropped the potion onto the blood  
and a loud explosion arose from the floor. When Phoebe looked back all she could see was charred tile and smoking fabric. "Nobody will look for you anymore, you're dead."_

Phoebe averted her eyes in shame. Piper looked at her warmly before looking to Zankou with a raging stare that seemed unnatural for her delicate face. "And what about me huh? Don't I get a cool flash back montage?" Paige jibed.

Zankou began, "Of course, wouldn't want to chose favourites now would I Paige?" He was about to set foot upon the _Circle of Truth _when the Elder members of the Tribunal spoke up.

"The bad choices made by the Charmed Ones are not it question here," said the dark skinned floating head.

"True, but, as Zankou has clearly demonstrated, to look to the Charmed Ones for a solution on solving the imbalance is ludicrous as they are ruled by there emotions. They do not put magic first," a demon tribunal member counteracted.

"**And he does**?" Phoebe shouted pointing at Zankou.

"The Charmed Ones resurrection of their sister-"

"We didn't bring Prue back…we don't have that kind of power!" Phoebe said growing increasingly angry.

"Then who did?" the Tribunal members asked simultaneously. "It is clear she is the result of the tipping scale."

"You're guess is as good as ours buddy," Paige replied as she released a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

The members of the Tribunal began to glow brighter and Paige took that to mean they had began communicating with each other. Paige, after studying the book, read that the members were telepathic. Their eyes each shifted from witch to demon to each other in a blurring sequence before each head nodded in turn. "We have made a decision," the heads stated. A swirling white light erupted into the tribunal court and it caught the attention of the sisters quickly. Prue looked around in a daze at her sisters, her captor and then the huge floating heads.

"What's going on?" Prue asked as her head spun from the journey.

"**No!**" Phoebe shouted.

"My thoughts exactly my lords," Zankou smirked.

"You can't just take her away again!" Piper echoed ignoring Zankou.

"I'm sorry my dear," said the goateed elder member of the Tribunal, "but we must keep magic going."

"You take our sister away from us and we'll make damn sure that your precious magic comes to grinding holt," Paige asserted receiving a warm look from Piper and Phoebe. Prue heard Paige's outburst but she was still stunned by the magic that her brain didn't process them.

"You heard her," Phoebe echoed.

"And no Charmed Ones protecting the innocent is really going to screw up your precious balance even further," Piper spat angrily.

The members of the Tribunal looked to each other. The two Elders nodded to the two demons who smiled devilishly. "There is another way," one of the demons said.

"We'll take it, whatever it is, we'll take it," Phoebe said.

"I beg you," pleaded one of the Elders, "rethink what you're doing!" The sisters ignored him and listened intently.

"The Tribunal recognises the source of the imbalance is the resurrection of a strong paragon of good…you're sister…the Tribunal also recognises that we can either take away the imbalance…or counteract it," the smiled, "tis your choice."

"We should think about this," Paige said as the voice of reason.

"Counteract it," Phoebe and Piper demanded together.

Zankou began, "Objection my Lor-"

"Very well," the Tribunal boomed simultaneously.

"Wait-" Before Paige could finish, the members of the Tribunal closed there eyes and a loud and ear shattering hum filled the black abyss.

The _Circle of Truth_arose in hellish fire that seemed to consume so much oxygen that it left you short of breath. The brightness of the fire grew until everyone, even Zankou, had to avert their eyes. The sisters heard the fire roar and turned to see a black figure discharge from the tower of flames. The black silhouette flew through the air before tumbling a few meters away from Prue on the silver glass. Piper stared intently and found the black figure was a cloak. The cloaked man magically rose to his feet and a red glow occurred under his hood. Claw like hands glided out of the sleeves revealing numerous small tribal marking and extremely long, black and pointed fingernails. With his hands, the cloaked figure pulled back his hood and smiled to the witches in extreme excitement. "Long time…no see," he grinned.

"The Source," Phoebe gasped in a shallow whisper.

"What have we done?" Paige mimed.

* * *

**Author's Note.**  
thank you to shellbob who added this to their favourite story list.  
thank you to my reviewers: LeftWriter224, Megavalatron12, BitchAmI and darius prince of the sea.

Hope you liked that^ and please review and let me know what you thought.

Thank you for taking the time to read.


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